Real calls up sub for damaged Cup

MADRID, April 22, 2011 (AFP) – Real Madrid have put a replica of the King’s Cup on display at their stadium after the original was crushed during celebrations following Wednesday’s 1-0 extra time final win over Barcelona.

The owner of the Madrid jewelry shop that made Spain’s most treasured trophy, Federico Alegre, heard about the incident on the radio as he was driving back to Madrid from Valencia and immediately headed to the club to supply the team with a replacement cup.

“I arrived at the Bernabeu two minutes before the team bus arrived.

“I always make a spare in case something unexpected happens, lest the king be left with nothing to give out. The spare has been ready for a long time,” he told daily newspaper El Mundo.

Alegre said he would try to repair the original trophy, which he said was badly damaged.

“It was a fall of five metres, a bus ran over it, it has lost pieces, the base is destroyed and the rest is dented. I am not sad or even angry. These things happen, it will be another anecdote that will be told in the future.”

Real said in a statement that the replacement cup was already on display at the museum at its stadium, which houses a “trophy” room with all the cups the club has won.

The trophy came to grief during a victory parade through the streets of Madrid in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Defender Sergio Ramos held the 15-kilo (33-pound) trophy above his head in an open-top bus as the triumphant team were about to enter Madrid’s central Cibeles Square, packed with fans partying throughout the night.

But he lost his grip and the Cup, which Real Madrid got their hands on just hours earlier after the final in Valencia for the first time since 1993, fell in front of the bus.